Blackburn with Darwen

Blackburn with Darwen's population increased by about 10,000 between the last two censuses. This semi-automated article highlights some of the key changes among the local population.

The population reached nearly 150,000

In the decade to 2011, the population of Blackburn with Darwen increased by 7.3%, from about 137,000 to 147,000.

The addition of just over 10,000 people means this area's population increased at a similar rate to the overall population of England (up 7.9% since the 2001 census).

In 2011, Blackburn with Darwen was home to, on average, 7.7 people per football pitch-sized piece of land.

Population density was higher than the average across the North West

Population density (usual residents per football pitch-sized piece of land) across the North West, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)

An older Blackburn with Darwen

Census 2011 data also show a change in the local population's average age.

Between the last two censuses, the median age of Blackburn with Darwen increased by one year, from 34 to 35 years.

This area had a lower average age than the North West and remained somewhat younger than the average local authority area across England (39 years of age).

The fall in age was because of an increase of about 3,300 people between the ages of 40 and 49 years, while the population between 30 and 39 years decreased by almost 700.

About 14.0% of people in Blackburn with Darwen are aged between 40 and 49 years

Percentage of usual residents in England, North West and Blackburn with Darwen by 10 year age band, March 2001 and March 2011

Disability in Blackburn with Darwen

The percentage of Blackburn with Darwen residents whose day-to-day activities are limited a lot by a long-term health problem or disability increased from 3.7% to 4.7% in the 10 years leading up to 2011.

The percentage who reported being limited a little in their day-to-day activities remained close to 6.5%, while the percentage of Blackburn with Darwen residents whose day-to-day activities are not limited by a long-term health problem or disability decreased from 89.8% to 89.3%.

The proportion of people who are considerably limited by a long-term health problem or disability increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of the North West (from 3.7% in 2001 to 4.4% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 3.1% to 3.8%.

The proportion of people who are limited a lot by a long-term health problem or disability in Blackburn with Darwen increased by 1 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in Blackburn with Darwen, the North West and England that reported being considerably limited in their day-to-day activities, March 2001 and March 2011

Religion in Blackburn with Darwen

The 2011 Census asked a voluntary question about religion. Of those who chose to disclose their religious affiliation, the largest percentage point increase in Blackburn with Darwen was among those who said they were Muslim, rising 7.4 points.

In 2011, 28.6% of respondents in Blackburn with Darwen gave this answer to the question on religion, compared with 21.2% of those who answered in 2001.

Across the North West, the percentage of people who answered the question on religion that described themselves as Muslim increased from 3.3% to 5.4%, while across England the percentage went from 3.5% to 5.6%.

Of those who disclosed their religion in Blackburn with Darwen, 55.8% said they were Christian, compared with 69.3% in 2001. About 14.6% said they had no religion, compared with 8.7% 10 years prior.

The percentage of people who disclosed a religious affiliation and said they were Sikh increased from 0.1% to 0.1%.

In Blackburn with Darwen, 5.6% chose not to answer the question on religious affiliation, compared with 8.6% in 2001. In North West, 6.2% did not answer the voluntary question, compared with 7.7% in 2001. Across England, 7.2% of people did not answer, compared with 7.7% in 2001.

the population who identified as Muslim in Blackburn with Darwen increased by 7.4 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents who answered the voluntary question on religion in England, North West and Blackburn with Darwen by religion, March 2001 and March 2011

Ethnicity in Blackburn with Darwen

In 2011, 28.1% of Blackburn with Darwen residents said they were from the Asian or Asian British ethnic groups, up from from 20.8% in 2001.

Across the North West, the percentage of people from the Asian or Asian British ethnic groups increased from 3.8% to 6.2%, while across England the percentage went from 5.2% to 8.0%.

Around 69.2% of people in Blackburn with Darwen said they were from one of the White ethnic groups, compared with 77.9% in 2001. About 1.2% said they were from Mixed/multiple ethnic groups (White and Asian, White and Black African, White and Black Caribbean or Other Mixed), compared with 0.9% 10 years prior.

The percentage of people who said they were from the Other ethnic groups (Arab or any other ethnic group) increased from 0.1% to 0.8%.

the population from the Asian or Asian British ethnic groups in Blackburn with Darwen increased by 7.3 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, North West and Blackburn with Darwen by ethnicity, March 2001 and March 2011

Change in unpaid care

The percentage of Blackburn with Darwen residents that provided between 20 and 49 hours of weekly unpaid care increased from 1.3% to 1.8% in the decade leading up to the most recent census.

In 2011, just under 1 in 30 (2.9%) reported providing at least 50 hours of unpaid care each week, compared with 2.4% in 2001.

The proportion of people providing between 20 and 49 hours of weekly unpaid care increased faster here than in any other local authority district across the North West. The improvement brought health in Blackburn with Darwen close to the national average 1.4% in England described their health as good in 2011).

The proportion of people providing between 20 and 49 hours of weekly unpaid care in Blackburn with Darwen remained close to 1.8%

Percentage of usual residents in England, North West and Blackburn with Darwen by care, March 2001 and March 2011

Changes in family structure

Blackburn with Darwen saw the North West's third-largest rise in the proportion of households with adult children living with their parents.

In 2011, just over 1 in 10 (10.0%) households in Blackburn with Darwen had only adult children living with their parents, compared with 9.1% in 2001. The percentage with at least one child decreased from 36.0% to 35.0%.

Across the region, only Knowsley (from 13.3% to 14.4%) and Sefton (from 11.8% to 12.7%) saw a greater increase in the proportion of households with adult children living with their parents.

During this period, Blackburn with Darwen went from having the 34th-highest to the 16th-lowest percentage of households with only adult children living with their parents out of 309 English local authority areas.

The proportion of households with only adult children living with their parents was lower than across the North West

Percentage of households where a parent lived with their adult children across local authority areas in the North West and the average across England, March 2011

Rise in private renting

The percentage of households in Blackburn with Darwen that rented privately increased from 8.0% to 15.7% in the 10 years leading up to the latest census.

In 2011, just over one in six (18.1%) households lived in social housing, compared with 18.9% in 2001. The percentage of Blackburn with Darwen households that owned their home decreased from 70.1% to 64.2%.

The proportion of privately rented homes increased here at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of the North West (from 8.5% in 2001 to 15.4% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 9.9% to 16.9%.

Private renting in Blackburn with Darwen increased by 7.7 percentage points

Percentage of households in Blackburn with Darwen, the North West and England that rented privately, March 2001 and March 2011

Health improved

The percentage of Blackburn with Darwen residents that described their health as bad or very bad decreased from 11.1% to 7.3% between the last two censuses.

Rates are standardised to account for variation in age, which can impact the local population's health.

In 2011, just under 8 in 10 (78.7%) said their health was good or very good, compared with 66.7% in 2001. The percentage of Blackburn with Darwen residents that described their health as fair decreased from 22.2% to 14.1%.

The proportion of residents that perceived their health as bad or very bad fell at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of the North West (from 11.0% in 2001 to 6.8% in 2011). Across England, the percentage fell from 9.1% to 5.5%.

These data are people’s own opinions in describing their overall health. They may be inconsistent with other measures of health, such as NHS records.

The percentage of people in ’bad’ or ’very bad’ health in Blackburn with Darwen decreased by 3.8 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in Blackburn with Darwen, the North West and England said their health was bad or very bad, March 2001 and March 2011

Relationships in Blackburn with Darwen

The percentage of married people fell in Blackburn with Darwen, but at a slower rate than in Hyndburn (the local authority area that shares the largest boundary with Blackburn with Darwen).

In Blackburn with Darwen, the proportion of married people decreased from 51.6% in 2001 to 47.8% in 2011. During the same period, the proportion in nearby Hyndburn decreased from 51.8% to 45.8%.

Across the North West, the share of married people decreased from 49.8% to 45.0%.

The proportion of people who had never married or entered a civil partnership in Blackburn with Darwen increased from 28.8% to 33.6%, while the proportion of people who had divorced or separated from a marriage or civil partner increased from 11.4% to 12.0%.

The proportion of married people was higher than across the North West

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 and over that said they were married across local authority areas in the North West and the average across England, March 2011

More people worked short hours

The percentage of employed people in Blackburn with Darwen working less than 16 hours increased from 1.8% to 3.2% in the decade to 2011.

In 2011, just over 1 in 16 (6.4%) people aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) said they had worked over 49 hours the week before completing the census, compared with 9.3% in 2001.

The proportion of people working less than 16 hours in a week increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of the North West (from 1.7% in 2001 to 3.0% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 1.9% to 3.1%.

The proportion of people working less than 16 hours in a week in Blackburn with Darwen increased by 1.5 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) in Blackburn with Darwen, the North West and England that said they had worked less than 16 hours the week before completing the census, March 2001 and March 2011

More students

The percentage of Blackburn with Darwen residents that were studying increased from 2.1% to 3.2% in the 10 years leading up to 2011.

In 2011, just under one in two (48.0%) people aged 16 to 74 said they were employed, compared with 48.6% in 2001. The percentage of Blackburn with Darwen residents that were unemployed increased from 4.1% to 5.3%.

The proportion of students increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of the North West (from 2.5% in 2001 to 3.5% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 2.6% to 3.5%.

The percentage of students in Blackburn with Darwen increased by 1.1 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 in Blackburn with Darwen, the North West and England that said they were in education, March 2001 and March 2011

Living alone in Blackburn with Darwen

The percentage of one-person households changed very little here, while the proportion increased in nearby Hyndburn.

In Blackburn with Darwen, the proportion of one-person households stayed close to 30.4% between the last two censuses. During the same period, the proportion in nearby Hyndburn increased from 28.7% to 32.2%.

Across the North West, the share of one-person households increased from 30.9% to 32.2%.

The percentage of households with a cohabiting couple in Blackburn with Darwen increased from 7.5% to 9.3%, while the percentage of households with a married couple decreased from 36.9% to 34.2%.

The percentage of households with only one person was lower than across the North West

Percentage of households that comprised only one person across local authority areas in the North West and the average across England, March 2011

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Area report data

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